Going by people’s reactions, many Nigerians have continued to express their anger, frustration and disappointment over the federal government’s decision to close the country’s borders and also place total embargoes on the movement of goods through these borders.
This is as the government of Ghana is pleading for reconsideration as the effect of the closure bites harder.
The Federal Government of Nigeria ordered the complete closure of the land borders, placing a ban on both legitimate and illegitimate movement of goods in and out of the country.
This is coming after the President announced the partial closure of the Nigeria-Benin border on August 20th with the exercise code-named, ‘Ex-Swift Response’. The measure was taken to restrict the massive illegal importation of rice into Nigeria and ensure trans-border security issues.
Note that Nigeria’s border shutdown applies only to goods coming and going out of the country by road through the country’s borders with its neighbours such as Cameroun, Ghana, Niger, amongst others.
Meanwhile, Republic of Ghana, one of Nigeria’s neighbouring countries affected by the closure, has appealed to Nigeria to re-open its borders.
According to the country’s Foreign Minister and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, the decision has heavily affected Ghana, noting that Ghana was determined to make Nigeria rescind its decision by exploiting diplomatic avenues.
She was optimistic that Nigeria would re-open its Western borders for free flow of goods from Ghana to the sub region.
“As we speak, Nigerian goods are entering Ghana without any problem and I think that we should find ways of isolating the issues and the countries that you have problems with so that Ghana’s exports can enter your market without being lumped up with all these issues that have emerged,” she said.
